Developers are constructing high-rise buildings on the site of a former art-film-only multiplex. Nikita Mikhalkov, the head of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, clearly involved himself in all of this. Was he planning to live in a new Skyview apartment complex? I am not sure. But lawyer Yuri Soloviev asserts that Mikhalkov is the best person to explain how a public movie theatre transformed into a private building site.
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They took down the famous Nightingale movie centre on Druzhinnikovskaya Street three years ago, in October. Now, the area is being stood over by four almost-completed 20-story “nails. But nearby homeowners still remember what Nikita Mikhalkov said about saving the theatre from destruction.
Nikita Mikhalkov at Krasnaya Presnya
As the head of the Union of Cinematographers, Mikhalkov must support this movie theatre. This movie theatre has a lot of rooms and is one of the biggest. He believes nothing else will be built there, and he will protect the cinema centre for as long as he can. In 2019, at the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum, Nikita Mikhalkov stated, “I will defend the Nightingale cinema centre and support the 100,000 people who signed a letter requesting that it not be destroyed.
What happens if you can’t? Did “little secrets and shameful secrets” play a part in this story, which Yuri Solovey, the “lawyer in a crumpled jacket,” brought up at the Congress of the Union of Cinematographers in 2009, where his last name mysteriously matched the name of the movie centre? He represented the new owners of CJSC Kinocenter in court in the past and signed all the necessary papers, including those for the sale of shares owned by the union.
History of Skyview- Russian Cinema
They haven’t had the movie centre where they are building skyscrapers for that long. They built it in 1989, so when they chose to tear it down, it was less than 30 years old. Does such a huge and vital cultural object have a limit? From 2012 to 2019, people thought that “Nightingale” was the biggest and most famous movie theatre in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Every day, the organizers showed about 50 paintings in 24 halls. Over the past 30 years, we have conducted more than 325,000 screenings. Saving the building of Soviet modernity was difficult due to its relatively young age. They named the Nightingale movie centre on Krasnaya Presnya a cultural heritage site in an attempt to protect it. However, the building must be at least 40 years old.
The Union of Cinematographers of the USSR provided funds to the all-Union creative group “Kinocentr” for the construction of the centre. They built most movie theatres with large main rooms. But filmmakers started releasing auteur films, which garnered a much smaller following. The biggest venue in Eastern Europe has 24 rooms, allowing for the simultaneous screening of multiple films and the scheduling of repeat showings. The Ring Line Metro lets people directly benefit from all of this. What else should we include here besides a centre of modern art?
A joint-stock company made up of unions of cinematographers from the former Soviet countries later purchased the building. Mikhalkov led the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, which was one of the founding groups. After that, the JSC-authorized funds were pulled out by him. This is very helpful! Eduard and Vadim Merkin, businessmen, are suspected of being involved in transferring property from the trade union to Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands in the joint-stock company, but nobody knows for sure.
At that scandalous meeting of the Union, Yury Solovey stated that the issue had cost $6 million. “You sold, gave away, or rented everything, and you [the union] were left with stairs and hallways,” he said. The buyer bought the building outright after selling the shares.
Allegedly, a few years later, when the statute of limitations ran out, they tore it down so that they could build elite “humans” that stood out like nails in the cityscape. The trade involved trading 24 theatres for auteur films, which were supposed to help directors, for 20 floors of housing, and millions of dollars were spent in a way that isn’t clear.
Every year, the theatre in Krasnaya Presnya attracts about 1.6 million people. When the people decided to tear down the Nightingale, they probably didn’t consider where they would now show Russian auteur films, which had trouble finding viewers before. And now, low-rise buildings in new places or beyond the third ring are crashing into the view, which would look better.
The cinema centre near the metro and the park had fewer floors, and the tall building on Barrikadnaya stood out. Now, let’s not discuss the reasoning behind urban planning here, unless you want to feel sad.
Construction of Skyview Apartments
The construction of the SkyView apartment block will finish in the second quarter of 2024. The company that built it named it “an Eden in a metropolis. The four towers will have a total of 304 flats, with sizes ranging from 43 to 390 square meters. We found the cheapest lot for 39 million rubles on real estate websites, which is 44 “squares” (one room).
The Skyview apartment block doesn’t allow for boredom or inactivity. People have the option to exercise in the fitness room using top-notch equipment, enjoy a swim in the swimming pool, savour delicious meals at the restaurants, unwind in the Turkish baths, or treat themselves to a visit to the spa. “We have constructed all of these facilities for you,” states the developer of the Sky View project. At the same time, he remains silent about the lack of nearby places where flat owners can go for a simple walk.
The developer’s website might fix up the Krasnaya Presnya field, which they call a “green zone,” soon. All in all, the authorities are finalizing the plan to build an indoor ice rink here for 2019. You can build it, but only with some changes. They will turn the spot, where people in the area teach their kids how to play football and play by themselves, into a trendy multi-space. Will you create a green zone and a place for kids’ football teams? Or should they also visit New Moscow, where they just tried to convince the leaders to leave?
As a side note, regarding them, You can reach the “Presnensky Children’s Park” in 5 minutes. But the White House is so close that it closes at night for security reasons. So, residents of SkyView can only walk in a square in front of a high-rise building on Barrikadnaya, a park near the metro, or a zoo.
Even though Moscow residents and visitors consider it an important part of their cultural life, it is not a place to relax every day. The animal smells, entrance fees, limited hours, and a large number of visitors do not create an atmosphere suitable for wealthy shoppers to stroll or have a picnic every day. The strange design of Skyview‘s green surroundings on Presnya can fool buyers.
According to the law, it’s important to note that flats are not considered homes. The technical requirements are much cheaper, but the property tax is higher. You must pay 0.5–2% of the total cost for apartments if they cost 0.1%. The residents pay for big repairs when they are needed, and the owners do not have a say in how the common property is taken care of.
Well, and this may be the most important point
If we consider the rooms in the four giant “candle” houses as apartments, the project to build them does not include building schools, kindergartens, or clinics nearby. The developer of the new Skyview housing complex has stated that there will be space for children’s circles and areas. But will these places provide a good permanent living environment for kids?
Summary
In other words, after delivering the houses, Krasnaya Presnya facilities may experience a lot more stress. People will ask more than once who decided to sell and tear down the unique movie centre. After all, the Prosecutor General’s Office is just beginning to carefully review the reasons for the past changes in ownership of important things. Given the unclear legal basis, the destruction of a famous movie theatre in the past, and the poor construction of the apartments, will buyers be ready to take big risks?